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There is quiet struggle going on in the city of Nankana Sahib in Pakistan — the birthplace of Guru Nanak.

Facing Gurudwara Janam Asthan, built on the spot where the first Sikh guru’s home once was, is a large mosque with a tall minaret.

Over the last few years, on each visit I make to the city, I find that the length of the minaret has increased. Its construction seems never-ending — and perhaps it is. The minaret is a symbol, an assertion of an identity that believes it is under threat.

Leaving home

After Partition, no Sikh families were left behind in Nankana Sahib. Its holiest shrines, associated with Guru Nanak, were abandoned and came to be occupied by tall grass and drug addicts.

Over time, with the situation worsening for the Sikh community in the tribal areas following the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, a few Pathan Sikh families moved to Nankana Sahib. The numbers increased exponentially with the emergence of the Taliban in the tribal areas and their demand for Jizya, a tax historically levy on non-Muslim subjects in a Muslim state.

As the community’s population in Nankana Sahib grew, there emerged a confidence and collective sense of identity that Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan’s Punjab had been robbed of at the time of Partition. This reflects in the ever-increasing scale of celebrations during Guru Nanak Jayanti, when a festival is held here in November to celebrate the guru’s birthday.

Empowered local Sikhs and foreign-currency wielding pilgrims meant better care of gurudwaras in the city. The government of Pakistan woke up to the potential of Sikh religious tourism and started renovating and protecting Sikh places of worship.

Nankana Sahib once again emerged as a significant Sikh city in the eyes of Pakistanis and the rest of the world, even though there are only a few thousand Sikhs living here compared to hundreds of thousands of Muslims.

On the surface, they share a harmonious relationship, with local vendors benefiting from the surge of the tourists and local Sikhs merging into the economy of the city.

However, a little bit of probing reveals the tensions.

One example is that of religious purity. Many restaurants refuse to offer food to members of the Sikh community, fearing that their contact would yield their utensils impure.

In 2012, a young Sikh from the city, Dhavinder Singh, was killed, leading to tensions between the Sikh and Muslim communities.

Further, there is property running into hundreds of acres linked to the gurudwaras of Nankana Sahib, most of which is now under the control of Muslim traders. As a result of this, tensions between the communities remain high.

It is in this context that the tall minaret of the mosque facing Gurudwara Janamasthan should be seen. The minaret is an exertion of dominance, of asserting that one religion is superior to the other.

Lost heritage

In this engagement between these two communities the Hindu heritage is ignored. It is conveniently forgotten that there was once a thriving Hindu community here as well, which has left behind an equally remarkable architectural heritage.

When I first spotted the turret of a temple from the roof of Gurudwara Tambu Sahib in Nankana Sahib, I was drawn to it like a magnet.

It was a lone structure surrounded by houses, domes of the gurduwaras and minarets of mosques. It was the only one brave enough to fight for space in an already-contested land.

Following the turret, I walked through the streets of Nankana Sahib, passing several Sikh pilgrims gathered around the gurudwaras.

The temple at Nankana Sahib.

Unlike other streets, this was quiet. The quest for the turret led me to a wooden door with a chain on the top. I knocked the chain on the door, and in an instant, the door opened, as if someone was already waiting inside.

“Please come in,” said a middle aged man wearing a white shalwar kameez, not even asking me my name or the purpose of my visit.

His name was Amjad and he was a professor at a local government college. He led me past a narrow staircase to the top floor of his house.

The temple was on the roof, a tall turret with a small room underneath. Outside, at the entrance, there was an idol of Hanuman. Surprised, I turned towards Amjad.

“No one worships here, so I saw no point in destroying the idol,” he said.

Islam is regarded as an iconoclast religion. Mahmud Ghaznvi’s invasion of Somnath temple in the religio-nationalist discourse is projected as a heroic action.

It is the same tradition that the Taliban followed in Afghanistan when they destroyed thousands of years old Buddha statues at Bamiyan.

After Partition, most Hindu temples of Punjab were taken over by migrants who had come from India or property grabbers and were severely damaged. Their idols were removed and destroyed. Frescoes depicting Hindu deities were chiseled out.

Some of these temples were used as houses and were whitewashed to remove all trace of their Hindu past.

So this was a rare instance of residents making an effort to preserve the sanctity of the temple that gave way to their house.

The main shrine was unoccupied but clean. Its frescoes – mostly floral patterns but also sacred scripts – were well-preserved.

“Hundreds of rioters gathered outside our home in 1992 after the destruction of the Babri Mosque,” he said. “They wanted to destroy the temple. But my father dissuaded them. He told them it is not a temple but our house.”

Remnants of the past

The story reminded me of another tale I heard hundreds of kilometers away, in the heart of Margalla Hills near Islamabad, where the mighty city of Taxila once thrived. The ruins of the ancient city are scattered along its vicinity.

The Taxila museum next to the ruins contains hundreds of items unearthed from these ancient sites. Almost exclusively Buddhist, the museum contains some of the most iconic depictions of the Buddha.

I was on my way out of the museum when, in the middle of the contemporary city of Taxila, I saw the turrets of a Hindu temple. I knew I had to visit the shrine.

Driving through the crowded streets of the city I found myself at the gate of the temple, a black structure with three turrets.

I was greeted at the gate by a young Pasthun boy named Muhammad Ali. “There are three families living in the complex of the temple but the main shrine which was upstairs is unoccupied and locked,” he told me.

“One day when I was sleeping with my feet towards the temple, an old man with a white beard appeared in my dream who told me to respect the sanctity of the temple. He also told me that I should regularly clean it. Since that day, every morning I open the temple and clean it. I also pray here sometimes and know god is listening to me.”

On the outskirts of the historical city of Bhera in the Punjab province, a great learning centre when the Chinese traveler Fa Hien arrived here in the fourth century CE, is a lonely structure of a small Shiv temple, a little out of place in the midst of newly constructed brick houses.

Sometime in the fourth century BCE, the city was razed to the ground by the forces of Alexander the Macedonian.

In the 16th century, it faced the wrath of the Mughal King Babur. It was then renovated by Afghan king Sher Shah Suri, in the 1940s. Sher Shah Suri had established the Sur dynasty after he deposed Babur’s son, Humayun, to become king.

Just outside the walled city, there is a historical mosque believed to have been summoned by the Afghan king.

The Sher Shah Mosque at Bhera.

Standing on a vacant plot, the Shiv temple is a single-storey structure, with a shivling in the centre. There were blackened lamps around it, showing that they had been recently lit.

A teenage boy followed me into the temple and told me that it was an abandoned shrine till a few years ago, when some people from the city noticed an old man – a saint with long, white hair and a beard – sitting inside.

He sat there into the night. “It was then that the people realised this place was sacred and started lighting lamps here.”

Haroon Khalid has an academic background in anthropology from Lums. He has been travelling extensively around Pakistan, documenting historical and cultural heritage. He is the author of four books — Imagining Lahore, Walking with Nanak, In Search of Shiva and A White Trail.

The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

Comments (93) Closed

Destruction of mind is worse than destruction of temples. The native of the river Sindhu land has forgotten who he is. Because his mind is destroyed by the barbarians.

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Tickleme ElmoNov 23, 2016 11:01am

Many thanks to Mr. Khalid for writing this article and those who are still caring for these places of their ancestors. Have to say it makes one sad to see the destructive path ignorance and intolerance lead us to.

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SBBNov 23, 2016 11:34am

God bless you.

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SubhashisNov 23, 2016 11:47am

Wonderful read !

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SindhiNov 23, 2016 11:49am

Great Article thank you

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Rabia ShoaibNov 23, 2016 11:56am

Thank you Haroon for making us enjoy the gems you keep finding. It feels good to know of times when people did not have school and college education but they were not myopic.

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MastNov 23, 2016 12:03pm

Very nice attempt Haroon Khalid. Its good to see that you are exploring history as history and not trying to paint it in a biased color. I would definitely want to read other articles, books from you.
Keep it up

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HUMANENov 23, 2016 12:10pm

God Bless the writer and Thanks to Dawn for publishing the article even though it may face ire of some fundamentalists...

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gulNov 23, 2016 12:15pm

We need to preserve our ancestral heritage. We are the sons and daughters of the soil of the sub-continent. Let us respect each others' belief.

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DarthvaderNov 23, 2016 12:15pm

Sad, when one forgets one's own glorious past and illustrious history,the serenity,glory of the Sapta Sindhu and 5000 years old culture to bow to same invaders that destroyed one's own families.It is sad indeed.

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snNov 23, 2016 12:27pm

Thanks for Dawn. Please print photographs of the Shiv Temple as written in the article.

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SachinNov 23, 2016 12:51pm

Liked reading this article

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BhaveshNov 23, 2016 01:00pm

Good to know history

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BhaveshNov 23, 2016 01:01pm

. Good article

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TANov 23, 2016 01:08pm

Good work Haroon. Sad that people of land have forgotten their ancestory and completely disengaged with it. You are doing a prudent, brave and honest work. Would love to read your books and would love to know about my acenstral history which I am not aware of.

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SuhasNov 23, 2016 01:09pm

Thanks Haroon Khalid!
It's people like you who are the ray of hope that might keep Islam alive..

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PrakashNov 23, 2016 01:10pm

Well written and kept the focus on the facts. A salute.

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SYED HASSAN HASEEBNov 23, 2016 01:28pm

very nicely written enjoyed reading thanks very informative and gives picture of our culture.

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PkNov 23, 2016 01:41pm

Very nice Mr Khalid. Pakistan needs people like you!

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HEMANTNov 23, 2016 01:53pm

Good to see the shrine of Hanuman Ji !!

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AniketNov 23, 2016 01:57pm

@Darthvader Dear the culture and civilization of the subcontinent is older then they mention in history. It has been proved recently, that there was a thriving coastal city by name of Dwarka did existed some 12500 year ago and also there was a city of seven pagodas (we call it mahabalipuram) during the same time. So in actual, a highly civilized and cultured society's did existed in the subcontinent in very very olden times. It is unfortunate that poverty and ignorance has deluded people about their ancestral heritage.

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Ali hassan Nov 23, 2016 02:05pm

beautiful we cannot disown our past .

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AdhirNov 23, 2016 02:10pm

Humanity is the biggest religion, there is a common culture,historical lineage which seems to be missing in Pakistan, such articles is a good move towards that direction. Keep it up.

Also like in India all religious sites and historical monuments need to be preserved for the future generation.

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K JattNov 23, 2016 02:15pm

Only good people can write great stories and cold be published by best News paper Kudos to dawn

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PBNov 23, 2016 02:36pm

quite a sensible article,

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mustafa aliNov 23, 2016 02:40pm

Mr. Haroon, it was a gem of an article, very euphoric and also shows that the pakistani muslim mentality is changing towards positivity.
dont stop keep writing on hidden issues.

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krishna RNov 23, 2016 02:45pm

Kudos to dawn & the author for this brave step to publish this article,

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Alok VermaNov 23, 2016 02:46pm

Dear Haroon
Great Article.

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KTNov 23, 2016 02:58pm

Cost of some old statue are in millions depending on their age.

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DarthvaderNov 23, 2016 03:04pm

@Aniket Yes I know that,similar sites likes Rakhigiri etc are 8000-10000 years but I am taking a conservative estimate not conclusive,final estimate.

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ShaileshNov 23, 2016 03:04pm

overwhelmed. may your tribe grow

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John DoeNov 23, 2016 03:22pm

Most positive article in recent times. Twas a great read. Thanks!

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Dr.HimanshuNov 23, 2016 03:48pm

Beautiful Article.

These kind of Articles to show the rich diversity which is unknown to the world.

Pakistan should protect and project it.

These articles show that Pakistan is changing .
We will always like a peaceful/Developed Pakistan .

Cheers

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K. P. VarmaNov 23, 2016 03:50pm

Wonderful! Heartiest congratulations to Haroon Khalid and to Dawn for this very informative article. This throws open a perspective that is not well known. If there were people like Haroon Khalid on both the sides of the India-Pak border, our part of the world may once again become the land overflowing with milk and honey. May I request Dawn to publish more such articles.

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atulNov 23, 2016 03:50pm

it's very sad that palkistanis have forgotten their own roots and ancesters.

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Harjit Singh DhanoaNov 23, 2016 03:57pm

Great and very informative, grateful to Khalid.
BTW: Bhera is the birth place of great actor Balraj Sahni and his novelist brother Bhisham Sahni. Balraj Sahni wrote a very moving book in Punjabi "Mera Pakistani Safarnama" worth a read.

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Kirtimaya VarmaNov 23, 2016 04:13pm

Newspapers on both the sides of the Radcliffe line are filled with horror stories disturbing the mind. This article was like a breeze of fresh air blowing over my heart and soul. No words of praise are sufficient to describe its beauty. May God give a long life to Haroon Khalid.

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Iftikhar HusainNov 23, 2016 04:24pm

Very good article thanks for sharing.

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OSONov 23, 2016 04:25pm

Nice article, thanks.

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faheem yaseenNov 23, 2016 04:26pm

keep it up.. what i cant do due to limited resources,your doing it for many of us... thanks!!!

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aLINov 23, 2016 05:01pm

Beautiful article Harry. Proud of your work. Keep it up.

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Paras KumarNov 23, 2016 05:09pm

Dear Khalid,

I am an Indian and recently started reading dawn paper just to get to know Pakistan and people's thoughts over there. I really appreciate the work done by you. In my beliefs, you and we were the same people/faith before. We are all same from each angle, you can see except the current faith & beliefs.
Best wishes for your future explorations. Keep exploring. I am sure you will will thousands of such things over there. May all of us start believing in humanity first.
Best,

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Komal SNov 23, 2016 05:25pm

Excellent piece.

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jagadish patwardhanNov 23, 2016 05:26pm

It is very good article. It is common heritage of India and Pakistan.At present very few Hindus are left so the burden of keeping these sites in reasonable condition rests with local people.We hope local people irrespective of religion will help to preserve these for future generation.Thanks to Haroon Khalid.We hope to read many more articles.

After reading dawn news and other Pakistani news papers, I wonder why Indian print media has not matured enough and why is there so much intolerance in the society. It is hard to touch the sensitive subjects in India which Pakistanis discuss with utmost freedom and confidence. Kudos to Dawn news

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Pinaki RoyNov 23, 2016 06:12pm

Thanks for the article. Enjoyed reading about places of interest which I would probably never be able to visit in my life time.

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Muhammad Nov 23, 2016 06:20pm

@Hari I agree with you comments.

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ShivNov 23, 2016 06:27pm

All I can say is Haroon Khalid : Thanks!
And yes, keep it up.

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Jai narain pareekNov 23, 2016 06:37pm

Very informative and intresting article, I appreciate these indivisual who are maintaining these sacred place for hindus.
It is un beliveable.
Thanks.

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ManishNov 23, 2016 06:55pm

Loved your research and story. Keep it up. Would also check your book.

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GauravNov 23, 2016 07:16pm

Great work sir..

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NeilNov 23, 2016 07:21pm

Nice article, I wish I could visit these places someday. Thank you Haroon Khalid and thank you dawn. - from India

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SeedooNov 23, 2016 07:57pm

Kudos to the author for writing such an article that highlights our rich heritage.

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Chitranjan SaraswatNov 23, 2016 08:16pm

good that some are still sane and understand that sindhu is where the world hindu came in existence

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SNNov 23, 2016 08:32pm

wonderful and should lead the young people of the subcontinent realize that we all come from same roots ...

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CaptainNov 23, 2016 08:44pm

Great article.

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DevaNov 23, 2016 08:52pm

Will Indians be allowed to visit Pakistan...How long are we planning to close the borders with Nuke threats?, will it one day become line E and W Germany downfall??, will it happen once the arms traders were side lined??

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Athmaram MudiamNov 23, 2016 08:54pm

Very well written. Thank you.

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kromeNov 23, 2016 09:09pm

Hi Haroon ,

Very interesting reading and amazing to read about Amjad and Pashtun Mohd. Ali are looking after these places without any commercial gain. as thought its their own .
So there are wonderful people in Pakistan we just read about.
May i also mention there was a Jain Mandir structure in Anarkali Bazar Lahore and also Jain Mandir road in Gujranwala which currently houses a Police Station .

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AftabNov 23, 2016 10:52pm

The whole Indus valley civilization, Veda, Sanskrit, Mauryan Dynasty, Taxila born here. Such a treasure which gave birth to 3000 year old Indian civilization which is still alive and thriving. We must preserve this piece of History and attract more Indian tourists. This is our history, our origin and we must respect this.

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RoshanNov 24, 2016 01:46am

Excellent article sir. God, bless you.

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rayNov 24, 2016 03:59am

Great article.

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AnonymousNov 24, 2016 04:25am

Great respect for them who are taking care of these places and also very thankful to Mr Haroon Khalid who bring this precious information into the light and it shows that still, people have great respect and love for minorities of Pakistan. :) :)

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SAHEEDUR RAHMANNov 24, 2016 05:55am

A very pleasant story on preservation in this ever growing madness in the society.

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hore choopoNov 24, 2016 07:51am

@Deva
Lets hope for love and harmony.

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hem pantNov 24, 2016 09:37am

Good article. I like to read DAWN and gives balanced news

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SamNov 24, 2016 09:38am

Excellent article. Good work Dawn!

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MasoodNov 24, 2016 09:59am

Good effort

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Abhijit chatterjeeNov 24, 2016 02:02pm

I wish to know about Taxila .Very very good article.

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mohammed ashrafNov 24, 2016 05:29pm

well done mr.khalid.you are doing a great job.discover the cultural heritage of pakistan's minorities.pakistani need to be more flexiable with others,not just grab abandoned properties.

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SSKNov 24, 2016 05:35pm

Nice Article. It brought smile and made me emotional. It was good to know that people over there are trying to preserve it and they believe it that it is their heritage. This kind of articles shows that are more good than bad in pakistan. Please keep writing such articles and bring more good and humane side of pakistan.

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Nirmal KNov 24, 2016 05:35pm

Great article and building block of linkage with history. Keep it up Haroon.

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mohammed ashrafNov 24, 2016 05:39pm

Nice and very informative piece of work.Good on you Mr. Khalid.

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Shadi KatyalNov 24, 2016 09:02pm

One must thank Mr. Khalid and few others who are teaching the history of the golden past when all communities lived in peace and flourished. It is also heartening to rad that there are still people who show humanity and respect for other religions. May God bless such people.

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OmarNov 24, 2016 11:06pm

Sikhism has roots in Pakistan especially in the Panjab and we should cherish and invite them, for all intents and purpose many of them share cultural and physical affinity with Pakistani often times moreso than many Mohajirs who look nothing like Pakistani's physically. Hinduism historically never had any strong association with Pakistan bar a few places in Sindh hence the lack of affinity with that faith.

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RKNov 24, 2016 11:19pm

Good work Haroon... like your work

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RKNov 24, 2016 11:19pm

Very good work Haroon.... like it

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RKNov 24, 2016 11:20pm

Good wok Haroon.

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RKNov 24, 2016 11:21pm

Keep the good work!!

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RKNov 24, 2016 11:22pm

Nice article. keep up the good work

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aslam shaikh1Nov 25, 2016 02:32pm

Can we say the same about Muslims wanting to go to India for visit?

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Deepak TralshawalaNov 25, 2016 02:39pm

Thank you, Mr Khalid, for a very well written piece. I felt I was walking with you while reading the article. What was refreshing was that you brought out these nuggets from towns off the beaten path. Please keep it up. And thank you, Dawn.

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UTPAL KUMAR BASUNov 25, 2016 08:38pm

nice article . thanks khalid sab, & and thank you dawn.

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Vivek AmarNov 25, 2016 08:57pm

Every time I read such articles, my desire to visit Pakistan increases. My ancestors were from Tando Mohammad Khan.

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VivekNov 25, 2016 10:43pm

Great Work Haroon!

God Bless you.

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Prof. B.K. singhNov 26, 2016 01:59am

Beautiful story.

An enlightened person protects what is sacred to others. Destroying past structure is destroying your heritage of the past. No sane nation or people should allow that.

Thank you Haroon Khalid.

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Baldev chandpuriNov 26, 2016 05:07am

@Vivek Amar live in peace all indians and pakistanis

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yedukondaluNov 26, 2016 10:01am

to me we are children of a family. Pakistan and India. our culture is mostly same expect southeast India.Religions are may different, but themes are and customs are same.
To me, one bad thing happens that is , the creation of another country.
ok, what is happens happened. forget it!! , now whey doesn't we coordinate or cooperate with each other.
Clashes are destroying each other.
A 3ed person is benefiting with this. why don't realize it?
Our ancestors Buddha already showed it to the world. what we learn from King Ashoka.
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther king , Nelson Mandela .real examples for this great thing -Talking to each other ,---Nonviolence,
we must realize ,now any country or Nation forcibly does not get anything .Take Sindhu river water . What the world bank can do?
Nothing .?
So be cool?
think wisely!!
Negotiate,
Resolve!! Be participate in development!!